Implications of spring training injuries and news

We’re only a couple of days in and teams are already crying “man down!”

The Seattle Mariners’ No. 2 starter Hisashi Iwakuma strained his finger on the first day of spring training, sidelining him for four to six weeks. Considering spring training is a time for conditioning and preparing for the season (duh), Iwakuma fans and owners can only hope he will be participating in workouts with the exception of throwing to keep pace. Still, that could be legitimate four to six weeks of the season we could miss of him, even if he is healthy by Opening Day, which he is expected to be.

The New York Yankees’ ace CC Sabathia has allegedly lost more weight but, instead of simply slimming down, has added more muscle. He allegedly felt weak last year after committing to a lifestyle change that saw him lose 35-or-so pounds. It’s an interesting situation; I keep Sabathia ranked around 40th of starting pitchers, but I’ll be tracking his velocity through the spring, if possible. If he’s got some of it back, it could boost his stock. It was only two years ago that Tim Lincecum halted his routine of fast food binges and started eating healthily — right before he had the worst season of his career, and lost mph and life on his fastball. Coincidence?

Also, the Cincinnati Reds’ ace Mat Latos had surgery on his knee to clean up some stuff going on down there. (Pretty scientific, right?) It’s supposed to be minor — he’ll be up and running in 10 days — but there’s always a chance of complications, even if the probability is slim. And, like Iwakuma, one has to hope the lost time doesn’t affect his Opening Day start.

Cy Young winner Justin Verlander says he feels fine and will be ready for Opening Day. It remains to be seen how it will affect his throwing, though. One more bad year and things could start getting ugly.

And American League MVP Miguel Cabrera says he feels stronger after core surgery this offseason. Is that even possible? It could be hot air, but it’s just scary thinking about what kind of season he could have feeling perfectly healthy — and wondering how much his woes last year plagued him before they became very obvious in the latter third of the season.

Bonus coverage: Is it easy to dismiss Trevor Bauer after his rough-and-tumble stay in the bigs so far? Yes. And is it easy to dismiss the PR machine churning in Cleveland trying to make him look like he’s not a lost cause? Yes. But! Let us consider one thing: Mickey Callaway did something magical last year when he revived the careers of both Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir. Is it out of the question that he can do the same for the third overall pick of the 2011 draft?

As I always say, “keep your eye on so-and-so during spring training”… But seriously, if Bauer is walking fewer than 4 BB/9 in his first few starts of the season, he will have my attention.